Best MacBook Air Alternatives

If you want a travel-ready laptop that’s amazingly thin and feather light, one of Apple’s MacBook Airs is probably at or near the top of your list. The latest 11-inch MacBook Air delivers instant-on functionality, the new Mac OS X Lion OS, and a backlit keyboard for $999. The 13-inch Air is even better, earning a very rare 5-star review, thanks to its higher-res display and longer battery life.

On the other hand, the Mac operating system isn’t for everyone. We also know that not everyone has $999 to $1,299 to spend. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best MacBook Air alternatives.

HP Folio

Straddling HP's business and consumer offerings, the $899 Folio sports a brushed aluminum deck and lid that will fit in at home or at the office. We like that its island-style keyboard is backlit, and that it packs a 128GB SSD and an Intel Core i5 processor. While it's as thin as other ultrabooks, the Folio weighs a heavier 3.3 pounds, perhaps to accomodate a battery HP says will last up to 9 hours.